For comparison, when the
Harpers gauge at our
launch @ 1929 Blacks Bridge Road, Annville reads the following
heights:

5.5’, the
Road to site #1 is almost covered, not accessible
and partly flooded;

7’ our ramp is covered to
the top gravel border;

9’ the swell puts water onto sites 1-4 & site 8;
and

10.56', only sites 26-35 do not flood.

DepthUSGS
GuagesNational Weather Service provides forecasts for Harper's
and Hershey gauges. Check the gauge nearest your start point.
Beginners should reschedule at 2.2' deep.
Reschedule
if experienced, but water is rising between 3.5' & 4', or below .4'.Kayaks may float a bit
lower. Memorial Lake is an option when the Swatara is too high or
too low.

Use caution at dams: With groups, avoid
low-head dam in Jonestown. Uneven portage on left bank, which disappears
into tree line in high water. Hershey dam portage is also on the left. Long, but flat, mowed route. Take out at feeder stream on left before warning sign.

Groundwater Guardian is a program of the Groundwater
Foundation of Lincoln, Nebraska that supports, recognizes, and connects communities that
are protecting their groundwater resources. Groundwater Guardian is not a regulatory
program, rather it relies upon voluntary steps developed at the community level to address
local groundwater protection priorities.

Lebanon County has been designated as a Groundwater
Guardian community for the past four years for activities conducted by the Lebanon County
Groundwater Education Team, under the leadership of Betty Conner and the Lebanon County
Conservation District. Other members of that team include the Lebanon County Office
of Penn State Cooperative Extension, the Lebanon Water Authority, the Myerstown Water
Authority, the Lebanon County Planning Department, and the League of Women Voters.
Some of the activities carried out over the last four years include: workshops on
wellhead protection for community water supplies and private well owners; video
conferences on drinking water protection; displays for the Lebanon Valley Agricultural
Fair; water-testing clinics for private well owners and newspaper articles on water
quality sponsored by Cooperative Extension; participation in a study of Small Water
Systems in Lebanon County conducted by the US Army Corps of Engineers; and participation
in the Susquehanna River Basin Commission's Source Water Protection Community Partnerships
Project.

Groundwater is a resource that is often taken for granted.
In Lebanon County there are over 30 small community water systems that depend on
groundwater, as well as thousands of private wells. While there is generally
sufficient quantity of water in this county for current uses, even in the severe drought
season we experienced in 1999, the quality of the groundwater may be affected or
threatened by activities on the land--especially in the limestone region, aquifers may be
contaminated by pollutants from agricultural, residential, or industrial activities.
Preventing groundwater contamination is simpler and cheaper than trying to clean it up in
the future. We have an example of the cost of groundwater cleanup at the Whitmoyer
site in Myerstown which is costing millions of dollars.

The Safe Drinking Water Act Amendments of 1996 mandated
that source water assessments must be conducted for all public drinking water systems (the
raw groundwater or surface water before treatment). Source water protection however
is voluntary and responsibility rests with the local community or water system to take
steps to prevent pollutants from reaching drinking water sources. Here is where
Groundwater Guardian comes in to help communities by raising awareness about groundwater,
providing information and resources, by inspiring and helping communities develop
solutions, by supporting regional and national networks, and by providing recognition.
The ultimate goal is preservation of an adequate supply of clean, safe drinking
water for generations to come.